One Benefit Of The Rain

I usually use the last pair of shoes I purchased (as opposed to the pair I currently wear) for “bad weather” riding.

This is what my poor poor shoes looked like after the many snow/salt sessions this winter. They were stiff, and salted like bad beef jerky.

This is what they looked like after a good cleaning in the rain today.

I still hate cold rain, but at least all the salt is off my bike and my shoes now.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

Cleaning Your Bike In The Winter (Or A Physical Manifestation Of My Shame)

Jay left this comment:

“Any advice for a fool that left his bike in the snow? (Cleaning wise, anyways)”

In an effort to answer Jay’s questions I present my own bicycle as an example…the shame burns.

I have become one of those people with a rusty creaking chain…I hang my head.

So last night I gathered up my pride and a damp towel and started in on the beast. After 10 minutes and the removal of both wheels (more on that in a later post) My bike looked like this.

My Method:

Damp towel + elbow grease + liberal amounts of chain lube = clean bike.

I wipe down the entire frame, wipe down the rims, the hubs, the cranks etc. Then I apply a lot of lube to the chain, and wipe the chain down, apply more lube, wipe, repeat till chain looks like metal again, then lube liberally and wipe once more.

What I Do Not Do:

Spray water on my bike. Spraying water can drive it into places you do not want it, especially in the winter where it will freeze/rust things you care about.

Work outside. Its just too damn cold, the damp rag method seems to work just fine cleaning it inside.

Worry about getting it perfect. If you look you will see plenty of dirty left on the bike, I just try to knock off most of it. Its just going to snow again next week, so I am not getting out the tooth brush.

In a perfect world I would do this wipe down every day, but as well know the world is not perfect, and often when you come home from a hairy snow day commute the last thing you want to do is wipe down your bike. So I try to knock back the horrible at least once or twice a month. Having an aluminum bike helps.

I hope these tips help you reduce your own shame at having a filthy bike in the winter.

Feel free to leave any tips for winter bike cleaning in the comments.

Add to Reddit.

Tweet

A Boston Winter By Bike

People often think I might have a few screws loose when I tell them that I ride my bike everywhere, everyday. They ask about how I get food, how I get my laundry done, but mostly they ask what I do when it is cold. My answer, I bundle up and keep riding! Here are some fun pictures from the last couple of days here in Boston. The salt trucks are working overtime, and as such I come home a bit dirty…but boy is it fun!

Add to Reddit.

Tweet